Messenger
by TheNightshade43
Summary: Messenger, an Autobot data transporter, must escape from four notorious assassins. Every character in this story belongs to me. Set before Chronicles of Nightshade.


TF Messenger

A small Autobot huddled his dark green and orange body close to the wall behind him. He was cornered within the confines of a small facility of some kind. He had no idea how he got there or even where he was. Though he knew about the information he had within his systems. And that he had to escape from his captors.

With agility that was scarcely believable he dodged the incoming claws of Phobos, who's purple, yellow and white exterior matched his fractured personality. For a nano-second the pair eyed each other carefully. Although a face plate hid the Decepticon's expression, his yellow optics bored into the Autobot. The Autobot's dark blue optics showed fear, causing his foe to grow in excitement.

"You should be running now Messenger…" Phobos prompted darkly, his crazed voice startling the Autobot out of his daze. In reply Messenger bolted, vaguely wondering how the Decepticon knew his name. For now it wasn't a big concern. He could wonder about it later when-if-he escaped.

He ran through the twisting corridors, noting that the grime-covered walls were in a state of disrepair. He heard the psychotic laughter of Phobos behind him and quickened his pace. He was a little relieved that he was faster than his captors in battle-mode.

He ran past a cluttered room, and doubled back when a dark blue and teal Decepticon aimed a fist at him. Despite the Decepticon's enormous size he moved swiftly. But Messenger was faster. Digging into his reserves of courage the Autobot charged. Becoming a blur he ran up the Decepticon's arm, which was still lodged into the ground at an angle. Messenger identified him as Deimos, and tried his best not to look into his ominous black optics.

Leaping off Deimos' shoulder the Autobot heard thunderous laughter. Ignoring it Messenger ran down the hall. He heard Deimos turn and go after him. But then the booming sounds of footsteps receded as Messenger dove into a small service tunnel and froze. His cooling systems were working overtime, though Deimos didn't seem to hear it as he passed.

Messenger sighed in relief as he crawled through the service tunnel. Although the hole was far too small for the Decepticons to crawl after him, the Autobot didn't like the thought of them ripping apart the building to get at him. That mental image kept him going despite his growing exhaustion. All too soon he saw an end to the service tunnel. Light was spilling in, showing that the adjacent room was directly linked to the outside world. At the entrance to the room he hesitated. It wasn't long until nightfall. And he knew that his captors had excellent night vision. At least from the rumours he had heard. He, on the other hand, would have to rely solely on his guidance systems.

As he ran towards the multitude of metallic boxes in the room he spotted a sleek black femme walk into the room. Her body looked very delicate, but her azure optics were sharp and calculating. He dove behind some boxes nearby, hoping that the Decepticon known as Nightingale didn't spot him. If she did then he was slagged. She was the one that had captured him before he escaped into this building. If it hadn't been for Phobos attacking him then Messenger would have been her mindless slave until he was taken in for questioning. He wasn't sure what she had done to him. One moment he was running from her, the next he was handing his weapons over to her and surrendering.

He forced himself to focus on the present and crouched low as Nightingale scanned the room.

"I know you're in here," she soothed in a gentle voice, "give us the information and we won't have to torture you."

Messenger almost laughed at that remark. Giving the information to them wouldn't lower his chances of being tortured. All of his captors were notorious for it. And he didn't want ANY of them to lay a hand on his systems.

Now at an angle behind Nightingale he crept past, hoping that her optics didn't pass over him. To his relief she moved away from him, towards the back of the room. He spotted a small opening to his left. It was too small for anyone larger then himself to pass through. And the path to the opening was heavily sheltered from sight.

Quickly but cautiously he headed towards the opening. If he could make it to the opening then his chances of escaping would improve dramatically.

"Surprise!!!" Phobos screeched as he charged through the boxes beside him. As metal splintered around him Messenger catapulted into the air. He glimpsed the Decepticon gliding under him as he flew. Messenger gracefully landed on the ground before darting through the broken boxes. Phobos saw the opening and gave chase, laughing hysterically behind the Autobot. But then he stopped, his body twitching like a mechanical puppet. Messenger began to wonder why until he saw the massive form of Deimos loom before him. He blocked the only way out of the room. The Decepticon was eying him eagerly, challenging him to try and pass him.

Messenger doubled his speed and pressed on, feeling disturbance from the air behind him. From the corner of his optic he saw Nightingale fire metallic shards at him. He wasn't reassured by the fact that Nightingale was only trying to disable him.

Just before Deimos lunged for him the Autobot dove feet first in between the Decepticon's legs. Surprised, Deimos hesitated, but then he whirled and attacked the wall with careful precision. Messenger barely made it to the opening in time, sliding through the entrance before it collapsed in a buddled heap of metal.

The Autobot stood up quickly. He didn't know how much extra time he had to get away, but he didn't care. Even in the light of his small victory he was terrified. He ran through the cluttered landscape, panic rising within his systems. Without a moment to lose Messenger leapt into the air and took flight. Unlike a lot of his Autobot brethren he could actually fly in battle-mode. There was no faster way to travel. Even though the Decepticons were faster flyers he had a head start. And when he found a suitable hiding place he could wait until they gave up on him and left.

As he flew higher into the air Messenger felt a presence nearby. When he looked around he spotted nothing. Again he wished that he still had his weapons on him.

Before he could react, a black and grey Decepticon with slanted wings appeared behind him and caught him in mid air. The feat was spectacular, looking simular to the way hawks pluck their prey out of the sky.

Messenger panicked and attempted to break free from the Decepticon's firm grip on him. In reply the Decepticon held him close, preventing him from doing any damage. When he looked up Messenger saw the emotionless face of Nightshade and froze. A deep grey faceplate covered the bottom half of his black spiky head, while his deep green optic looked at him in what could only be described as satisfaction. Messenger felt something enter his mind. It told him to calm down. He complied, his awareness of the outside world fading as he felt the Decepticon lower him to the ground. It was all over.

* * * *

Nightshade held the limp Autobot close to him as he made his way to the ground. He was thrilled that his hunt was successful. That HE was the one who had managed to capture Messenger. He couldn't wait to get back to the base and extract the information from him. Then he could modify the Autobot in any way he wished.

His team mates approached as he landed silently on the purple coloured earth. The sun had set but there was still ample light to see clearly. Nightshade carefully placed the now compliant Autobot on the ground. Messenger stood passively as his optics stared at the horizon in front of him. He would only move at his master's command.

"That was a good hunt!" Deimos admitted cheerfully, looking down at Nightshade proudly.

"If only all prey were so fun to play with." Phobos added with glee, studying the entranced Autobot in curiosity.

"Try to restrain yourself Phobos." Nightingale warned politely as she stepped forward. "We don't want the little one to flee again now do we?" She added rhetorically, knowing full well that that's exactly what her subordinates really wanted to happen. In truth she wouldn't mind restarting the hunt again; it replenished her team's morbid sense of enjoyment and kept her skills up to scratch. But they couldn't afford to waste any more time. The Autobot was due to be extracted within the next few hours.

Nightingale approached Nightshade with the air of authority.

"We should get back to the base before we miss our deadline." She announced, moving to retrieve Messenger from her subordinate's possession.

Usually Nightshade would have obeyed her order and given her what she asked. This time Nightshade placed his hand on the Autobot's shoulder and stiffened. He didn't have to say anything, his body language clearly telling her that he wasn't willing to give up his prize. To any other leader his actions would have been considered rebellious by nature. Fortunately Nightingale knew him better than that.

She tried to glimpse into his mind but was thwarted by the mental barriers he had put up. She lowered her hand and sighed to herself. His reasoning systems were malfunctioning again. He was giving everyone a guarding look, as if expecting them to attack him at any moment. Nightingale felt a tap on her shoulder and turned to see Deimos looking down at her.

'**Do you need a hand this time Boss?'** He asked telepathically, the question containing a hint of concern. She shook her head slightly in reply.

'**I'll calm him down,' **she answered mentally;** 'you take the prisoner from him.' **She paused before adding,** 'But do it carefully. I don't want his attack to get any worse than it already is.' **Deimos nodded faintly.

Sensing that something was wrong Phobos showed signs of distress. He didn't like it when something happened to his family. He grew alarmed when Nightshade rejected his attempts to link up with his mind.

Sensing his comrade's distress Deimos placed his hand on Phobos' shoulder to steady him. He opened a mental link with Phobos, and in reply the small assassin quietened dramatically. He needed to be reassured that his family wasn't under attack. Phobos calmed when he Saw what Deimos, his big brother, knew. He let the giant pass him as Nightingale tried to approach Nightshade.

Nightshade edged his way back as his leader approached him. She was trying to talk to him but he couldn't comprehend what she was saying. He saw Deimos collect the dazed Autobot and silently fumed. Messenger was HIS and they were taking him away.

And now Nightingale was going to terminate him. He had no idea why she wasn't attacking him. Maybe she was trying to lower his defences? But he did know that he had to get away from her.

He growled a warning as Nightingale got within an arm's reach of him. Something in her optics prevented him from moving. He felt the familiar sensation of his circuits being scrambled as she again tried to read his mind. In reflex he fought it.

It took a while, but eventually he couldn't fight her abilities any longer and gave in. She took away the pain and fear he had felt and as it faded he started to feel incredibly giddy. He hadn't felt this good in ages. It was almost as if she was rewarding him for ceasing his struggles.

"That's a good soldier." Nightingale cooed as she retracted from his mind. She turned and watched from the corner of her vision as Nightshade followed her with obedience and unsteady feet. He was severely scrambled, and would be completely hopeless in combat until he was repaired. She found it ironic that despite his superior psychic ability he was very susceptible to her powers of persuasion. It was a good thing though; he was the least trusting of her subordinates, and always tried to stay away from her when they were alone.

Nightingale saw a concerned Phobos waiting for an okay so he could tend to his taller comrade. Chuckling slightly she nodded in acknowledgement.

"You can go to him now Phobos," she told him softly, "be careful with him though. At the moment he's a little…fragile."

Phobos nodded eagerly in reply, happy that everything was alright again. Showing a rare trait of restraint the small assassin walked up to Nightshade and steadied him. Phobos slowly tried to link up with his mind, and was relieved when his younger brother didn't reject him again.

"Let's go home little brother," he coaxed quietly, "where the Doctors can fix you up." Nightshade nodded slowly in agreement, allowing Phobos to support him as the small assassin led the way. In his drunken blissful state he couldn't find any reason to argue.

Deimos shifted his grip on Messenger as Nightingale strode up to him. He was the most stable of her subordinates and the most trustworthy. Which was why he was usually the one who was entrusted for transporting their targets. He was quite proud of the trust she showed him, though sometimes he wished that his comrades weren't so unstable. They were fortunate to have a patient and understanding leader like her. Any other leader would have either punished them or have had them reprogrammed.

"How's the prisoner?" She asked while looking at the Autobot in his arms. Messenger had come to when Nightshade's hold of him was severed. He was incredibly weak, exhausted from the whole ordeal. He remained limp in Deimos' grip, his head moving a little to focus on the femme in front of him.

"He's online now, but he's too low on energy to try anything." Deimos replied, watching the prisoner in contempt.

"Good." Nightingale added calmly. "The last thing we need right now is a feisty Autobot." Deimos chuckled darkly.

"There'll be no more fighting from this one Boss." He said humorously. "He's as limp as a sparkling."

"Alright boys we're moving out." She ordered, trying to keep a straight face after Deimos' last comment. "Before we miss our deadline."

The others nodded obediently and took off into the darkening sky after her.

Messenger looked up at the sky and saw stars beginning to appear. His captor was flying very quickly now, making the stars spin around him. His head lolled down weakly to stop himself from getting too dizzy. The ground was swimming before his optics, making the sensation even worse. Despite fearing for his future Messenger felt himself drift off into recharge. He was just too tired to fight it anymore. He watched the ground fade as he drifted off, accepting his fate.


End file.
